How do you get smoke smell out of a guitar case?

[Terry]

The fellow I bought this from on Ebay forgot to tell me it was a smokers and tried to cover it up with something.  Now it smells like a cat died in the case while smoking....so much better.

[FYL]

Throw in some raw roadkill, leave the case in the sun for a couple of weeks, then add your fave guitar - you'll be a real bluesplayer in no time.

[tubesornothing]

Gee - just cant win huh?

I seem to remember some stuff in high school we used to sniff.  It was meant for deodorizing things. We used it for getting high before operating the saws in the wood shop.

Nilodor.

[rafe]

Air it out in the sun....do not put it on top of your truck cap though. I did that with a nice leather jacket with a mildew smell.....I loved that jacket too...I forgot it was up there ..looked everywhere, have no idea where it blew off

[Geezer]

I have used "Febreeze" with good results.

[G._Hoffman]

It's pretty tough.  There are a couple things that work with smelly cases, but none of them work perfectly.  The first thing to try is to put your open case outside on a hot sunny day.  Its not really the right time of year for that right now, of course, but it can be pretty effective.  The other thing that works is a product called Atmosklear.  Its an enzime based product that is quite effective on some smells, but not all.  Before you use it, you should try it on a "descreate area" of your guitar (whatever that means) and your case, to make sure it doesn't react with the finish or the fabric.  We've had pretty good results with it over the years.  Still, it is all but impossible to completely eliminate some odors, and along with mildew and animal piss, cigarette smoke is one of the worst. 


Gabriel

[2twang2]

Terry, glad you posted this question and Gabriel thanks for the lead on AtmosKlear.

I bought an old Tele on eBay a couple of years ago. Nice guitar and nice original Fender tweed case, but the previous owner must have bathed in cologne or perfume every time they picked the guitar up. After cleaning the rosewood fretboard and leaving the guitar out of the case for a while, the smell dissipated from the guitar.

But nothing I tried (bleach/water solution, vinegar, baking soda, various spray cleaners) would get the smell out of the lining of the case. Fender sells a spray bottle case interior cleaner, which helped a little, but when the case is closed, the smell just intensifies again.

I just ordered a bottle of AtmosKlear ($14.95 + shipping from http://www.5starshine.com). I'll post after trying it.

[G._Hoffman]

Terry, glad you posted this question and Gabriel thanks for the lead on AtmosKlear.

I bought an old Tele on eBay a couple of years ago. Nice guitar and nice original Fender tweed case, but the previous owner must have bathed in cologne or perfume every time they picked the guitar up. After cleaning the rosewood fretboard and leaving the guitar out of the case for a while, the smell dissipated from the guitar.

But nothing I tried (bleach/water solution, vinegar, baking soda, various spray cleaners) would get the smell out of the lining of the case. Fender sells a spray bottle case interior cleaner, which helped a little, but when the case is closed, the smell just intensifies again.

I just ordered a bottle of AtmosKlear ($14.95 + shipping from http://www.5starshine.com). I'll post after trying it.

If the Atmosklear doesn't do the trick (I've never tried it on purfume), also try letting it sit out in the sun for a day next summer.  It really does help.

[2twang2]

Thanks, Gabriel. I'll remember this tip. Summer comes a bit late here in Portland, but it's always worth the wait. 

[Terry]

someone said this works and I'm trying it this week.  Lay the case on a flat surface, open.  Put bleach in a cup or container inside the case and leave open.  Cover the whole mess with a plastic bag and leave for 3-4 days.  I'll try the cheap stuff first, then kill myself.

[thermion]

we used to use on ozone generator to deodorize non-smoking hotel rooms that someone had smoked in. this happened all the time and was a great revenue stream for the hotel since we could slap the offender with a $50 fee. we'd go in, plug in a shoebox-sized ozone machine for an hour, and the smell was gone even out of the curtains. very effective if you have access to (or have the stuff to build) an ozone machine.
next best thing may be to hose it with ozium, available at your friendly local head shop.

[plexi50]

we used to use on ozone generator to deodorize non-smoking hotel rooms that someone had smoked in. this happened all the time and was a great revenue stream for the hotel since we could slap the offender with a $50 fee. we'd go in, plug in a shoebox-sized ozone machine for an hour, and the smell was gone even out of the curtains. very effective if you have access to (or have the stuff to build) an ozone machine.
next best thing may be to hose it with ozium, available at your friendly local head shop.

Ozium or Opium?

[thermion]

Ozium or Opium?

your call. ozium is the budget-minded choice however opium has several intangible benefits.
indeed, the smell of burning drugs may be just what you need to remove your problem smell (only to replace it with another).

[plexi50]

Ozium or Opium?

your call. ozium is the budget-minded choice however opium has several intangible benefits.
indeed, the smell of burning drugs may be just what you need to remove your problem smell (only to replace it with another).

[billcreller]

 We used to use Ozium in corporate airplanes, before we convinced them to not allow smoking in them. It seemed to help.  The smoke residue (nicotine) would affect the outflow valves on pressurized cabins, making them stick, act up etc. Had to clean the valves on a regular basis.